Thailand’s Constitutional Court has temporarily suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, pending a ruling on a petition seeking her removal from office.
The move comes amid growing public outrage over a leaked phone conversation in which the premier referred to former Cambodian leader Hun Sen as "uncle" and criticized a Thai military commander.
The conversation, which triggered calls for her resignation, has sparked a national controversy and threatens to bring down yet another Shinawatra-led government.
Paetongtarn, the daughter of ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, now becomes the third member of her political family to face removal from power before completing a full term.
The court voted 7 to 2 in favor of her suspension and has given the 38-year-old premier 15 days to respond to the petition. During this period, Deputy Prime Minister Suriya Jungrungruangkit will step in as acting prime minister.
Paetongtarn’s administration, already weakened by economic woes and a thinning majority in parliament, suffered a major blow two weeks ago when a key conservative partner walked out of the ruling coalition.
If ultimately dismissed, she would be the second Pheu Thai Party leader ousted in less than a year. Her predecessor, Srettha Thavisin, was removed in August last year for appointing a controversial former lawyer to his cabinet.
Paetongtarn, who took office shortly after Srettha’s dismissal, made history as Thailand’s youngest prime minister and only the second woman to hold the post—following in the footsteps of her aunt, Yingluck Shinawatra.
Her leadership has faced increasing scrutiny, particularly over border tensions with Cambodia. She defended the leaked remarks as part of a "negotiation strategy," but critics accused her of compromising national security and diminishing the authority of Thailand’s military.
The court’s decision came on the same day her father, Thaksin Shinawatra, appeared in court to face charges under Thailand’s harsh lese majeste laws. The charges stem from comments he made during an interview with a South Korean publication nearly a decade ago.
Thaksin, once in self-imposed exile, returned to Thailand in 2023 as part of a broader political reconciliation involving the Pheu Thai party and its traditional rivals, including pro-military factions and royalist groups.
His legal troubles and his daughter’s suspension now cast fresh uncertainty over the future of the influential Shinawatra dynasty and the stability of Thailand’s political landscape.
